1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a semiconductor fabrication process, and, more particularly, to operating a processing tool in a degraded mode in the semiconductor fabrication process upon detecting a fault associated with the processing tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a constant drive in the semiconductor industry to increase the quality, reliability, and throughput of integrated circuit devices such as microprocessors, memory devices and the like. This drive is fueled by consumer demands for higher quality computers and electronic devices that operate more reliably.
These demands by the consumer have resulted in some improvements in the manufacture of semiconductor devices as well as in the manufacture of integrated circuit devices incorporating such semiconductor devices. Reducing the defects in the manufacture of these devices lowers the cost of the devices themselves. Accordingly, the cost of the final product incorporating these devices is also reduced, thus providing inherent monetary benefits to both the consumer and manufacturer.
Generally, a set of processing steps is performed on a group of wafers, sometimes referred to as a xe2x80x9clot,xe2x80x9d using a variety of processing tools, including photolithography steppers, etch tools, deposition tools, polishing tools, rapid thermal processing tools, implantation tools, etc. The technologies underlying semiconductor processing tools have attracted increased attention over the last several years, resulting in substantial refinements. However, despite the advances made in this area, many of the processing tools that are currently commercially available suffer certain deficiencies. In particular, while such tools may expeditiously and somewhat accurately identify faults, these processing tools often lack the ability to adequately respond to faults.
Typically, when a fault in a processing tool is detected, that processing tool is shut down until some corrective action may be taken to remove the cause of the fault. Shutting down the processing tool, however, adversely affects the overall efficiency of the semiconductor manufacturing process as the progress is hindered during the processing tool""s downtime.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the affects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for operating a processing tool in a degraded mode upon detecting a fault and in accordance with one or more business rules. The method comprises detecting a fault associated with a processing tool capable of processing one or more workpieces and operating the processing tool in a degraded mode in response to detecting the fault.
In another embodiment of the present invention an apparatus is provided for operating a processing tool in a degraded mode upon detecting a fault. The apparatus comprises an interface communicatively coupled to a control unit. The control unit is adapted to detect an occurrence of a fault in a processing tool capable of processing a workpiece, determine at least one function that the processing tool is capable of performing after the occurrence of the fault and indicate to the processing tool to perform the determined function.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, an article comprising one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions is provided for operating a processing tool in a degraded mode upon detecting a fault. The one or more instructions, when executed, enable the processor to detect a fault associated with a processing tool capable of processing one or more workpieces, determine at least one function that the processing tool is capable of performing based on detected fault and cause the processing tool to perform the determined function.